How to Charm Your Dragon
by Astrid Elphaba Lovegood
Summary: There was something special about Hiccup that made him able to train Toothless. What if that something special was being able to play the violin?
1. Dragon Charmer

**Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon or any of its fabulous characters… but I sure wish I did.**

**Author's Note: I'm a die-hard music nerd and I've always wanted to write a story like this. If I could be more specific of violin details, please let me know: I was going to pick cello, because that's what I play, but you'll see why in later chapters. Enjoy! Read and Review! AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS!**

Hiccup was out for a walk in the woods by Ravent Point one afternoon. He was pondering what Gobber had said at training: "A dragon will always go for the kill." Hiccup asked himself, "Then why didn't you?" _Why _didn't that Night Fury kill him?

No ideas came to him. He couldn't _stand_ the silence. He cautiously looked around to see if anyone was hiding behind a shrub or tree. Once he was sure that no one was in sight, he raised his instrument to his shoulder, put the bow on the string, and began to play.

Ever since Hiccup was a little…well, littler… he'd always been fascinated by the fiddlers at the Thor'sday Thursday celebrations. When he was five, he found a violin stowed away in his attic and taught himself how to play. Until yesterday, Hiccup had always wanted to fight dragons but since he figured himself essentially useless, he considered fiddling as a backup career. It would have been seen as shameful for the son of the leader of the tribe to be a fiddler, not a great fighter of dragons. The only way for Hiccup to practice was in secret. The only place secret enough in Berk was this forest where he often took long walks alone to practice. No one had ever seen him here and he liked it that way. Besides, Astrid would never want him if she found out that he was a fiddler.

Hiccup loved playing more than anything. He used it to clear his mind and get away from the cruel world of Berk to a much better place where he didn't have to worry about Astrid, dragon training, looking like a fool in front of his father, Snotlout, not anything.

The music flowed through him and he poured out his heart. Since no one would ever listen to him, this was his voice. He was at peace, and who cared about some stupid dragon when he had this beautiful thing that only he could do. This was the only thing that made him special. Too bad that if the others found out it would be considered hilarious.

Hiccup heard a flutter of batlike wings. This was nothing new. Dragons were around here all the time and he knew this forest better than any Viking in all of Berk ever did. He stopped playing and hid behind a nearby large rock as the dragon swooped down, right where Hiccup had been seconds before. He hadn't made an effort to hide himself particularly quickly, so no doubt this had dragon noticed him.

He saw the dragon's shadow and almost gasped: it was the Night Fury! This was it. He was done for! There was no_ way_ the same dragon would let him go twice!

The Night Fury sniffed and moved closer towards the rock where Hiccup hid. Hiccup was sure that the beating of his heart would give him away. And it did.

The Night Fury loomed over him once more. But it didn't have the same glare as it did the other day: it looked curious.

"Uh…hi." Hiccup said with nervous laughter, "I was just…leaving." He picked up his fiddle. The Night Fury looked from Hiccup to his instrument. A strange thought crossed Hiccup's mind. Was this dragon charmed by his music? He _was_ playing a little louder than normal...

"Okay…well, uh… how about a song?" Hiccup picked up his violin, never taking his eyes off the dragon, just in case it was a trap. He figured he'd better make this the best he ever played, so he wouldn't get eaten alive. He began to play one of his own tunes, and the Night Fury just sat there and watched him play, as if entranced. Hiccup continued to play, never taking his eyes off the dragon… and the dragon never took its eyes off him.

When Hiccup was finished, he lowered the instrument. He said slowly and clearly to the dragon, "That's all I have."

The Night Fury gave him one last look and took off. Hiccup noticed that it flew very slowly, almost lopsided. He followed the dragon with his eyes. Hiccup didn't move. He could only wonder.

_How could that dragon let me go _twice_?_

He was so curious that he ended up following it. The Night Fury came to rest in a glade around a lake. Hiccup wondered why a dragon as cruel as a Night Fury would choose to stay grounded. As he studied it, he realized that it had no choice: its tail was missing a wing. And he was responsible. Hiccup quickly made a sketch of the Night Fury on the back of his latest composition since his notebook was at home.

Hiccup snuck out of the glade and headed back to the village. The cogs in his brain turning and not even music would clear his mind. He kept the place in the back of his mind, and thought about heading there after training tomorrow. He clutched his violin tightly and wondered what he would have done without it.


	2. Forbidden but True Friendship

**Disclaimer: I do not own How To Train Your Dragon or any of its characters.**

**Author's Note: I took the advice of Travis Church and added in more music to the story. I will gradually add in some more as character development for Hiccup and the development of the friendship between Toothless and Hiccup. If you follow the soundtrack like I do, we are at the Forbidden Friendship scene.**

Today, Hiccup decided to give this dragon another try. He couldn't get enough of this situation. He found it so interesting that this dragon had spared his life twice! And the second time he had spared him was for a song! After thinking it over, he realized that he felt like a snake charmer. Although he found it a bit strange, it was definitely better than being eaten. He didn't think the other Vikings-in-training would feel that way, but he proceeded with his plan anyway.

He entered the glade through a small opening between two pieces of rock. Today, he carried a fish for the Night Fury along with his violin. Before showing himself, he threw the fish on to the ground. He couldn't think of any clever way to announce his presence, so he began to play a Viking song of many triplets.

At his first note, the Night Fury appeared from atop a nearby rock. Hiccup was so surprised that he almost stopped playing, but he knew that doing so would result in immediate death. He paused only for a moment to say to the dragon, "I, uh… brought this for you."

The Night Fury swooped down in a second. Hiccup jumped back and was so frightened that he could not move a muscle. He was too scared to play! There was no way he would get out of this one! He subconsciously picked up the fish and held it in front of the Night Fury. As it opened its mouth, he noticed something very peculiar.

"Hmm, toothless! I could've sworn you had-" Teeth suddenly appeared in its mouth, Hiccup dropped the fish; the Night Fury caught it in mid-air, and swallowed it whole. Hiccup gulped. "-teeth." As it began to sniff him, Hiccup realized how stupid he had been: he hadn't brought any more fish! Now _he _would be its next meal! All he could think of was to pick up his fiddle. He began to play, or what he would call a sad excuse for playing the sixteenth notes of his wildly thumping heart, spicatto, and out of control. He was soon backed up against a rock and figured the playing was useless, due to the horrible posture the situation caused him to be exercising, and his bowhold became tense. The sixteenth notes became sloppy.

"No," he whispered in fear, barely moving his chin so he could remain playing and stay alive a few seconds longer, "I don't have any more!"

The Night Fury regurgitated the fish onto Hiccup's lap. He lowered his instrument in disbelief. The look he was giving him only suggested one thing. _Eat it?_ That was not on the Viking's to-do list. But if it kept him from being eaten, he was all for it! He reluctantly took a bite out of the fish. He held it in his mouth for a few seconds, hoping this would suffice. The Night Fury still stared him down and performed an unmistakable swallow, urging Hiccup to do the same. Hiccup sighed and swallowed the piece of fish. Not only did it taste horrible, as it was a fish from Berk and all fish from Berk tasted as horrendous as Hiccup's middle name, but it also tasted of dragon bile. He shivered but smiled. The almost toothless dragon mocked Hiccup's silly smile. Hiccup attempted to touch him, but he flew away to sit by himself where he wouldn't be bothered.

But Hiccup was so curious! He wanted to know more. He quietly snuck over to it, sat down, and played a calm slurred tune. The Night Fury sighed. Hiccup couldn't deny that he was enjoying having an audience.

Hiccup followed the dragon around the glade all day, studying him and entertaining him with his beautiful song. The sun had fallen from its high point in the sky and it continued to do so. After he and the Night Fury had drawn pictures in the dirt with tree branches and in his case, his bow, he finally lowered his fiddle, closed his eyes, and reached out to him. Hiccup was just about to let go of the idea. Unbeknownst to him, Toothless came to Hiccup and the following moment lasted for an eternity in Hiccup's eyes. In disbelief, Hiccup felt the cold scales against his right hand and his violin in the other.

He was in awe that Toothless had let him touch him when he wasn't playing for him. It was almost as if the dragon really trusted him, after he had tried to kill him not so long ago.

No human in Berk had ever let Hiccup touch him or her. The only thing he had ever really felt connected with was the block of wood and pieces of string in his left hand. He had never had a real friend before. This was like no music Hiccup had ever played before. It was almost as if he and Toothless were friends.

He could not believe it. He had to make sure this was actually happening. He opened his eyes and stared into the dragon's. A second later, Toothless flew to the other side of the glade. Hiccup stared at his right hand. Thanks to his substitute for one, he had actually made a real friend.


	3. Hideously Charmed

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own HTTYD, so don't ask.**

**Author's Note: Thank you for your faithful patronage! Well, here's the third chapter.**

He could tell Astrid knew something was up just by the way she looked at him during training. Even though she was the girl he'd had a huge crush on for so many years, Hiccup didn't care: she would never guess what he was up to. Sometimes, he didn't believe it himself. Only a few days ago, he had tried to kill this dragon and now he was rushing away from dragon training to make a new tail for him.

He couldn't stop thinking about what Gobber said, "A downed dragon is a dead dragon." He pitied Toothless. Toothless was sure to die soon: there weren't many fish in that pond in the glade. He needed to fly. He was a dragon, dragons were built for the sky. If any dragon deserved to live, in Hiccup's eyes, it was this pure one who loved music and had spared his life so many times.

Before he went to see Toothless the next morning, he caught and brought with him a whole bag of fish. If he was about to try something this risky, he'd better make sure it had a full stomach. Hiccup was still a little nervous. They weren't totally able to trust each other yet. Hiccup hoped this new tail would ease Toothless into doing so.

He entered the glade playing an allegro fiddle tune. He saw Toothless immerge immediately. Toothless seemed to be enjoying Hiccup's music more than he usually did. He almost looked as if he were smiling. Hiccup gestured to the large bag of fish for Toothless. Toothless dug right into them only slightly recoiling from the smoked eel. Hiccup snuck around the back of Toothless in order to put on his new tail. He set his violin down and continued to sing the tune as "la-di-da"s. It took him a while to get Toothless' tail still, as he was rummaging around in the bag. He didn't seem to notice that Hiccup wasn't playing anymore. Hiccup attached the leather strap around Toothless' tail. He expanded the makeshift tail wing, evaluating it.

"Hmm," he mused, "That's not too bad. It works." Unbeknownst to him, Toothless spread his wings and took to the sky.

Hiccup held on to his tail for dear life. "WOAH!" Toothless seemed to be flying pretty well, much better than he had the other day. Hiccup could feel that Toothless wanted to be in the air more than anything. Suddenly, he began to plummet. Hiccup looked at his design to see what possibly could have been wrong. The wing wasn't expanded. He took it upon himself to do so, and Toothless not only saved himself, but he flew over the forest and out onto the sea before Berk.

"Yes!" said Hiccup in amazement. It felt so wonderful to be flying through the air. It was like going into another world. The wind whipped against his face. It was a breath of fresh air like no other.

Toothless dove back into the glade to fly over the lake. Hiccup shouted out in amazement from the sensation, "This is amazing! It's working!" Toothless must have heard him, for he was soon flying through the air into the lake. The water was freezing cold. He resurfaced with a totally crazy idea.

Toothless needed him to fly well. Hiccup needed Toothless to have a friend. If Hiccup could keep making crazy inventions, he might be able to do the work of his dreams: play for someone who actually cared and help them out with their life. He would do that by figuring out a way to play the violin while flying Toothless.

Unable to sleep, Hiccup spent the night thinking of Toothless, and arose for training the next morning. He went through the basic motions that morning and spent some time practicing simple tunes he learned on the violin and scales **(Author's Note: I didn't realize what a pun this was until I put it in here. Get it? Dragons have scales! LOL!... Well, I thought it was funny.), **things that would be easy to play while riding Toothless. He tried to play without vibrato but then realized that it was too difficult. He walked into the arena in a sort of daze that he didn't even really realize that Snotlout and Tuffnut were calling him "Hiccup the Useless" again. He had so many questions for Gobber about Night Furies.

The dragon of the day was the Hideous Zippleback. This was the two-headed one of which Hiccup had often dreamed of killing. (He had even written a song about it.) One of the heads shrank away from water and the other head breathed deadly smelling green gas. Instead of trying to determine which head was which, Hiccup asked Gobber questions.

"So, has anyone ever seen a Night Fury napping?"

"No one's ever lived to tell the tale." Gobber said shortly as if this was just Hiccup being crazy and thought nothing of it.

"Has anyone ever tried to… _train_ a dragon?" **(Author's Note: This is one of my favorite things he ever says.)**

"Focus, Hiccup!" Gobber warned.

Soon, he was the only one left in the ring. Hiccup wasn't sure how that had happened. What was he to do? The dragon was headed right for him! After watching its defeat of the other five, he had deciphered which head hated the water.

"NOW, HICCUP!" Gobber shouted. Hiccup attempted to pour water on the correct head, but he failed epically, his bucket of water spilling on the stones on which he stood. All the Vikings were sure Hiccup was done for. Gobber jumped into the ring in attempt to save Hiccup, but he was already on the job: he was talking to the dragon!

"Back!" he ordered, more sternly than he had ever ordered anything else, "Back in your cage!" The dragon slowly backed up. Hiccup decided to speed up the process by softly whistling a drinking song to it. The dragon seemed to enjoy it. It looked as if it was dancing like a drunken fool, rather than walking backwards. "Now, think about all the things you've done." Little did the others know that he had brought an eel with him inside his vest. He showed it to the Hideous Zippleback and it recoiled. When it was back in its cage, Hiccup took it upon himself to close and lock the door. He turned around to see everyone staring at him in amazement. Fishlegs dropped his empty bucket of water.

Hiccup could think of nothing to say. Hopefully they hadn't heard him whistling to it. If so, he would never be able to live it down! He would be the laughing stock of all Berk. But the Vikings remained silent.

"So, are we done? Good," Hiccup said, not giving Gobber a chance to respond, "because I've got some…_stuff_ to do. See you tomorrow!"


	4. The Secret Violist

**Disclaimer: Owning HTTYD would make me incredibly smart, lucky, and wealthy…all of which I am not.**

**Author's Note: This chapter is used as foreshadowing, and so I can absorb the wonderful ideas of the very thorough review given by A Frumious Bandersnatch. Thank you so much! This chapter may not seem important now but it is in the grand scheme of things, so hang tight and enjoy my element of mystery! It will also be used to show y'all the perspective of the common Viking on Hiccup's sudden and unexpected success. **

A Viking crept through the forest with a burning need to be alone and play the viola. The forest of Raven Point was not as quiet as it usually was: someone else was close. The Viking could hear the unmistakable spicatto bounce of a violin off in the nearby glade. If there was one thing special about this violinist, it was his tone. The tone was so full and rich. It was music unlike any the Viking had ever heard.

The Viking was compelled and could not even pick up the viola to respond in song. The Viking would be shown up once again by the unexpected new dragon master Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. The Viking was sure that was who it was. If anyone would be weird enough to play the violin in secret, it would be him. The Viking's admiration changed to bubbling anger. Why was Hiccup all of the sudden so good? It wasn't fair! So many Vikings had trained their whole lives to fight dragons and weren't even getting a shot!

But it couldn't be! Hiccup could not show this Viking up at more than one thing! That was impossible! The Viking did not want to believe it.

In anger, the Viking set the bow upon the C string, dug in and produced as much sound as possible. It rang out through the forest, louder than anything the Viking had ever played. The violin music either was inaudible or had stopped, for the Viking could no longer hear it.

This visit had proved far worse than clearing the Viking's mind as hoped it would. It had only made the situation worse: there was another secret string player in Berk who was about to show this Viking up again. The Viking stormed out of the clearing.

When Hiccup was sure that everything was still and that whatever it was with a viola was gone, he played a spirited jig while Toothless recuperated from their first unsuccessful flight. Hiccup sighed happily. Without Toothless or his violin, he had no idea what he would do.


	5. Dragon Rider

**Disclaimer: Are you kidding? Why would I be on fanfiction if I owned HTTYD?**

**Author's Note: If you listen to the soundtrack, enjoy Test Drive. I have watched this scene many times on You Tube and that is how I know all the lines. Don't judge me. Please read and review. **

Over the next few days, Hiccup learned many tricks during his time with Toothless. In the ring, he also learned that humming was as effective as playing a musical instrument, as long as you could carry a tune. (Hiccup was lucky in that.) Toothless, however, preferred his playing. In order to fly with Toothless, Hiccup had to develop a system to work his tail that was purely operated by the feet.

A week later after a morning of training, Toothless, Hiccup, and his fiddle immediately took to the skies.

"Okay, bud," said Hiccup, slightly afraid that due to excitement Toothless might forget that a musician was on his back, "We're gonna take this nice and slow." Toothless obliged and glided along smoothly. Hiccup got used to the feeling of playing on dragon-back by warming up with some scales. Now he could play with vibrato without fearing an epic fall, even though they were far from land.

Hiccup was good at playing in strange conditions. With some difficulty, he played a legato smooth tune as Toothless slowly dove for the sea. All Hiccup needed to do was adjust his foot position and Toothless' tail was in the right place. They smoothly flew above the sea. "Yes, it works!"

Hiccup momentarily got lost in his music and drove Toothless into some rocks. Toothless growled at him. "Sorry." Hiccup tried to fix the positioning and they ran into another rock. Toothless made a noise of distaste again. "Yeah, yeah, I'm on it," he adjusted his foot, "position three, no, four."

The fiddler momentarily closed his eyes. He felt the cool breeze and Toothless' ascension. Hiccup continued to play more confidently. For a split second, he dared open his eyes. The Night Fury was going straight up. Hiccup played a few victory arpeggios in seventh position out of elation. He had never felt like this before. "Yeah; go baby! This is amazing!" He shouted in disbelief as the sea surrounding Berk was far below him, "The wind in my-" Hiccup's cheat sheet flew away from under the saddle in a sudden wind. Without it, Hiccup wouldn't be able to get Toothless back down! "_Cheat sheet!_ STOP!" Toothless did just that… and that was a bad idea in the middle of the air.

Hiccup held onto his instrument for dear life as he flew forward thanks to our good friend inertia. He became unclipped from the harness. He and Toothless began to fall. Toothless was more scared than Hiccup. He moaned frantically as if to say _Now what?_ Hiccup tried to get into a proper playing position, but anyone who has common sense knows that it is extremely hard to play a violin whilst hurtling through the air unguided. Music wouldn't soothe Toothless.

"Okay, you've gotta angle yourself," he tried talking to Toothless, "Come back towards me!" The Night Fury's flailing tail smacked him across the face. He suddenly got an idea.

"Bud, I'm gonna do something crazy here. Just work with me, alright?" He called over his dragon's screams. He muttered a prayer to Thor and _let his violin and bow fall!_

Since his hands were free, he was able to clip himself back into the harness and adjust Toothless' tail positioning many times. Hiccup hoped his violin was okay and that Toothless was only slightly uneasy. They continued to fall but with slightly more control. They were falling towards land now. They were just about to crash into a forest when Hiccup adjusted his foot at the last second. He spotted his trusty fiddle that was just about to hit the ground and caught them both! He and Toothless sailed on as he played a song of victory he had written last week about the feel of riding on dragon-back. It was maestoso and full of eighth notes. They glided along without a care in the world over the sea once more.

"YES!" He cried with joy. Toothless blew out a blast of fire in celebration. He attempted to fly right through it. "Toothless," he laughed, "we wouldn't be friends without this." He changed the position of his best friend's tail and steered away from the Night Fury's fire blast. "My fiddle is not so fireproof."


	6. Thanks for the Breast Hat

**Disclaimer: In fact, I have been lying to you and I own HTTYD. Contrary to popular belief, I **_**AM**_** Cressida Cowell! I bet you didn't know that…because in all honesty, it's so obvious that I'm not.**

**Author's Note: Did you guys know that there's a page on Facebook called "Thanks for the Breast Hat"? When I discovered that, it literally made my day. I'm a bit foggy on every single detail, so don't hate on me if it's not entirely accurate. Plus, I'm the author, this is my story, and I can do whatever I damn well please! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. You guys have given me such great ideas, especially Toothless-the-nightfury. Enjoy!**

The sun was disappearing from the sky on the Isle of Berk. There was much noise coming from the village square. Nothing could rouse Hiccup from his daydream. He sat with his head down at his desk. He couldn't even pick up his fiddle. All he could do was think of his flight with Toothless. It was the best he had felt in his entire life. There was something about flying with Toothless and playing the violin that filled him up as if there were a overflowing fountain inside of him.

That night, Stoick came home from his unsuccessful adventure to the dragon's nest. He told Hiccup how proud he was of his son for being the best in training. He gave him a Viking helmet with his mother's breastplate in it. Hiccup didn't know how to react. He awkwardly retreated to his room and put it on a ledge.

He climbed into bed with his clothes still on. He stared up at the ceiling. He remembered that the final round of dragon training was tomorrow. It was down to two teen Vikings, himself and Astrid. Most of the important Vikings would be watching to determine which would perform the ultimate task the next day. Hiccup had completely forgotten what that was until now: whoever won the final round would have to kill a Monstrous Nightmare in front of the entire village. The thought made Hiccup shudder. It was plainly preposterous. Why kill a dragon when you can simply calm it down by whistling a tune? If only everyone knew how harmless they were, then it would be easier. Hiccup wouldn't have to hide what he was doing anymore. _Well, the violinist part might take some extra explaining,_ Hiccup thought, _but that was the smaller part of the issue._

Hiccup was sure that Astrid was spending the night sleepless. She was most likely throwing axes in the wood by the glade where he flew Toothless. She was doing that the other day and he came by. It was quite awkward, since he was wearing his riding harness and Toothless' saddle…especially since it was Astrid.

Astrid Hofferson…the mere thought of her name made him sigh. There was no denying it; he had a _humongous_ crush on her. She was so beautiful with her hair in that long braid…

Hiccup snapped out of his trance. She was very pretty indeed, but also ignorant. She would never be able to fathom the gentility of dragons or the purity of music. He felt kind of sorry for her. The Viking way was all she'd ever known. If only someone would show her. She might take a little persuading, but she was definitely one who was able to be educated. Hiccup made a vow that he would not be the one to do so: he was too shy. He would make a fool of himself in front of her, which was something he wasn't looking forward to.

She was a talented fighter. If Hiccup had not developed his deep friendship with Toothless, she would have been the best in the class, and he would have already been dead. Hiccup couldn't let her win the final round: he had to save that Monstrous Nightmare. Astrid would show it no mercy. He would not bear to see the girl that he had loved for so long destroy everything he and Toothless had worked for. He _had _to win the final round tomorrow. All he needed to do was hum a song and tickle the Gronkle under the neck. It was a lot easier than it looked, training a dragon. Trust was the hard part. The last thing Hiccup saw before he fell asleep was the breast hat.

The crowd cheered for Hiccup and the pressure was on. Astrid charged forward. Surprisingly, her aim was Hiccup, not the Gronkle. She pounced upon him like a panther and growled, "Stay out of my way! _I'm _winning this one!"

A sudden vision came to Hiccup. He was standing in the middle of the arena failing to kill another dragon, this time in front of the entire village. He saw the disapproving face of his father that he had seen so often. "Uh, please, by all means." She let him go for a moment to approach the dragon surreptitiously.

What was he _thinking_? There was no way in Valhalla that he would be able to kill a dragon tomorrow! But then, he saw the look on her face and another vision came to him of Astrid ripping out the heart of some poor Monstrous Nightmare. He couldn't let that happen! _Someone_ needed to show the Vikings that what they were doing was wrong, even if the dragons raided Berk all the time! _They wouldn't keep fighting if we didn't keep attacking them!_ Hiccup thought. He _had _to let everyone know the truth before it was too late and they were all wiped out because of their stupidity.

He bravely approached the Gronkle and hummed a lullaby he remembered his mother singing to him. He tickled him behind the ears.

Nearby, Astrid crouched behind a bit of rock. She heaved and prepared herself for the attack. "This time, this time for sure!"

But when she sprang up with a scream of the Viking war cry, she saw the Gronkle lying peacefully on the stones of the arena with Hiccup beside it.

The crowd erupted for the victory of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. Only the Gronkle and Hiccup could hear Astrid bellow in rage, "NO! YOU SON OF A HALF-TROLL, RAT-EATING, SLUDGE-BUCKET!"

Hiccup heaved a sigh of relief. If his crazy plan that he had just concocted worked out, then no dragon would ever have to die at the hadns of a Viking again. Gobber lumbered into the arena and gestured to Astrid. The crowd gave a disapproving grunt. He gestured to Hiccup and the Elder nodded. Everyone roared for Hiccup. He figured that he'd better sneak away to talk to Astrid in private.

"Okay, I'm just gonna…"

"Where do you think you're going?" Astrid asked suspiciously with a hint of venom. He winced as she shot at him. Unfortunately, the final test was tomorrow, so he wouldn't be able to wait to educate her when she was calmer.

"I was just-heading home to, uh… _fiddle_ with my axe-work for tomorrow. You know, that…needs a lot of work, so uh…yeah. See you."

Hiccup rushed out of the arena unnoticed. Before talking to Astrid, he had to fly Toothless: he needed a clear mind to talk to her. He headed home for his harness, saddle, and violin. He made it all the way back to his house undisturbed. He heaved a sigh of relief. When he opened the door, someone was sitting on the floor and sharpening an axe. It was Astrid!

**Author's Note: BWAHAHA! I bet you weren't expecting **_**that!**_** I got the idea last minute. I'm gonna roll with it. Please review this chapter!**


	7. Hiccup's Big Secret

**Disclaimer: Why the hell would I be on fanfiction if I were DreamWorks or Cressida Cowell?**

**Author's Note: I'm not quite sure why I decided to do this yet. Maybe because I was bored and wanted more to write about… I don't know, I'm not sure. I'll come up with a better reason later. I hope you guys enjoy this! Please read and review!**

Hiccup remembered that tonight would be the only time to educate Astrid. Unfortunately, she was not in the mood.

"Oh, hey, Astrid," said Hiccup, trying to stay cool. It wasn't working. She rose from the floor. Even though they were only separated by the top step, she towered over him. "Why, uh, in Thor's name are you here?"

She said vehemently, "I was expecting your father home first, but this is even better: I can get the full story out of you _before_ I tell him everything."

Hiccup gulped. "A-Astrid, there's no need to be rash-"

"Shut up!" She snapped.

He didn't. "There's not really any reason to tell anyone anything. I'm actually…kind of glad you showed up."

Astrid scoffed. "I bet you were."

"No, I really am!" He protested, "Astrid, I need to tell you something."

She grabbed him by the collar and yanked him inside. He fell upon the floor with an 'oof!' She closed the front door. "Stop buying your time. I want to know what's going on. No one just _gets_ as good as you do."

"Listen, Astrid, it's not what you think." Hiccup tried to calm and sit up straight. There was no mercy in her eyes.

She ignored him and carried on. "Are you _training_ with someone?"

Hiccup laughed uneasily. "Training? Uh…"

"It better not have anything to do with _this_!" Astrid pulled Hiccup's riding harness from out of its secret place under a loose floorboard.

"I know, _this_ looks really bad! But I-I'm through with the lies! I've been making…outfits! Okay, drag me out; tell everyone, here we go…" Hiccup tried to stall but was unsuccessful as Astrid sauntered over to him, picked him up by the arm, twisted it, and pushed him to the ground. "Ow! _Why_ would you _do_ that?"

"That's for the lies." She said. She slammed the head of her axe into Hiccup's chest. He let out another 'agch!' "_That's_ for everything else."

"Astrid, I have so much to explain! My dad doesn't have to know!" Hiccup objected.

"He doesn't have to know that you're the best in training and you can't kill a dragon?" Astrid laughed.

"Of _course_ I won't kill a dragon. That is exactly what you just don't understand and I'm the only one who can tell you." Hiccup reasoned.

"Tell me? Tell me what?"

"If you let me go and I'll show you what I've been doing."

Astrid looked as if she was seriously considering not letting him go. She thought for a moment, and then took the axe off his chest. "Alright, let's get this over with." She sighed.

Hiccup scrambled to his feet and rushed into his room. He pulled his fiddle out from under his bed, took a deep breath, opened the case, and presented it to Astrid.

She stared at the instrument in disbelief. She was silent for a time. Hiccup waited and held his breath.

When Astrid finally spoke again, she did not react as Hiccup had predicted. "So, you're a violinist." She said calmly.

Hiccup shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah."

He expected her to say something like, 'You're in for it now,' but instead, she said, "Are you any good?"

Hiccup was stunned. All he could do was shrug and say, "I'm okay, I guess." This was a day of which he had only dreamed. _Woden, pinch me, Astrid is asking me about the violin!_

Instead of her usual smirk, she smiled a different smile that showed her very white teeth. Hiccup only saw these when they were bared in rage. He didn't really expect a Viking like her to have teeth so white! She looked very pretty when she smiled. "You, _okay_? I bet you're great. You're so modest, anyway. You're really good with dragons and you brush that off like it's nothing."

Hiccup could feel himself growing red. He would not believe his eyes when her lips formed the words, "Play for me, Hiccup."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Uh-yeah, sure, let me just, ehm, get my…bow! Yeah, my bow. That might help, just maybe." He awkwardly inched back to his room. Surprisingly, Astrid followed him! She gazed around his bedroom in curiosity. She studied all the sketches upon his walls that depicted different types of dragons and scenic spots around Berk. Most of them were pictures of Raven Point.

Hiccup wasn't ready for her to know just yet, but it was too late. She had already spotted his latest and most beautiful work; it was a drawing of him riding Toothless. She could only stare at it in wonder. "Astrid," he began, "I know this is…a lot to take in, but I'll explain more later." He brought his fiddle to his shoulder and raised his bow. "This is my favorite piece… I wrote it…"Hiccup stared into the blonde's eyes, "It's called…Astrid." She gasped. Hiccup wasn't sure if she was pleased or just in shock, but he had to put that aside. This would only happen once.

Hiccup took a deep breath and set the bow upon the string. He let it glide smoothly at an Andante tempo as the fingers on his left hand performed smooth vibrato and a melody in the key of A major, his favorite key. He shifted flawlessly and the string crossings from his lowest, G, to his highest, E, were much smoother than he had ever performed them. After he got used to the fact that Astrid was there, his nerves settled down and he closed his eyes. He could think of only two things: one side of his brain concentrated in staying in tempo, _One, two, three, One, two, three…_ It was completely at peace. The other was a nervous wreck. _Oh, Odin! _Please_ make her see that I'm not crazy! _Please _let her realize how much I care about her before I show her the _really_ crazy part!_ He finished smoothly with an artistic ritard and fermata.

Hiccup finally opened his eyes and was mildly surprised that she hadn't run away. Astrid was smiling at him. After a few moments of silence, she breathed, "That was beautiful, Hiccup."

"Astrid," he sighed, "I hope you know how much I care about you. But that's not all! I have…more to tell you. You have to understand why I didn't let you win today."

"You mean...there's more?" Astrid asked in surprise. "What could be crazier than this?"

Hiccup smiled in spite of his nerves. "What you are about to see is much crazier."

"What is it?" Astrid asked excitedly.

He headed out the back door. To Astrid's surprise, he took the fiddle and strang gear with him. "It's in the forest by Raven Point." He took her hand and said, "Come with me."


	8. Hiccup's Bigger Secret

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own HTTYD. But if I did it would be "TOTALLY AWESOME!" (a la A Very Potter Musical.)**

**Author's Note: So this is the "Romantic Flight" with a twist. This next part will be a tad romantic. I'm sorry if you guys disapprove. Just skip over that part, then! You all know what happens! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it! If I screwed up a few details after their flight, please excuse me: it's been over two months since I've seen after the flight. Please read and review. NOW EDITED!**

Leading Astrid through the forest off Raven Point was one of the few things Hiccup expected to happen, but what he had not expected was her willingness. For a long time, she did not let go of his hand. This was all surreal to Hiccup. He was guiding the girl of his dreams through the forest to meet his dragon, with his fiddle in one hand and her hand in the other.

The whole way there, Astrid would not stop bombarding him with questions. "When did you first start playing?"

"When I was five, I found an old fiddle in the attic. It needed some repair, so I took it into Gobber's shop, and taught myself to play."

"You taught _yourself_?" She sounded impressed, "But why?"

"Astrid, this is _me _that we're talking about. You know, Hiccup the Useless? I'm the son of the chief. Who wants a fiddler for an heir? Do you think anyone would honestly want to be friends with me if they found out I played the violin?" Hiccup sighed.

Astrid was quiet for a moment. She said quietly, "I would want to be friends with you."

Hiccup stopped and turned around. "Really?" The look on Astrid's face did not suggest sarcasm. He stared into her big blue eyes.

She sighed. "Hiccup, you're a really interesting person. I just never really knew you before." Hiccup's eyes began to fill with tears. "Hiccup? What is it?" She asked.

"Astrid, for years, I've wished for you. You are so beautiful and independent. You've always been so far away. I never thought this day would come."

"What day?"

"The day that you talked to me about music."

Astrid smiled. "If you dream of talking to a girl about music, then I'd like to see what _this_ is all about." They had almost reached the glade. Hiccup was now very confident.

"Believe me; this is much crazier than anything you have ever seen." The two entered the glade through a space between two pieces of rock. Hiccup set down Toothless' riding gear as Astrid gazed around at the lake in wonder.

"Is this where you go to practice?" She asked.

"Yes," he came up with an idea of how to break it to her gently, "here, let me show you." He picked up his fiddle and started playing one of Toothless' favorites, his song of dragon riding with separated eighth notes.

A purr came from the other side of the lake. Astrid was startled. "What was that?" She instinctively reached for her axe and remembered that she had left it at Hiccup's. Toothless bounded from rock to rock to meet Hiccup. Unfortunately for Toothless, Astrid had a dagger in her boot! She gasped and ordered Hiccup to get down. She knocked him out of the way and sent his instrument flying. He ran to catch it before it fell in the lake and the fine wood was stained. While he rescued his fiddle, Astrid hurtled the dagger at Toothless. The dragon roared in fury.

Hiccup rushed to Astrid's aid. "No, Toothless! Easy, _easy_…" he played a largo tune of smooth bows. It soothed Toothless some. "She's a friend."

Astrid was not only breathless from the encounter, but she was also taken by surprise. "Hiccup…what-"

"You just scared him." He explained calmly.

"_I _scared _him_?" She asked loudly. Toothless growled. She winced. "Who is _him_?"

"Astrid, Toothless. Toothless, Astrid." Toothless growled. Astrid backed away and then ran off.

Hiccup sighed. Only a few minutes ago, she was being very cooperative. When she pulled out the dagger it had become more difficult. "Dat da dun. We're dead!" He sighed. A look of cunning crossed Toothless' eyes. He walked off. "Woah, woah, woah, woah!" Hiccup said, "Where do you think you're going?" Toothless motioned for Hiccup to get on. Hiccup knew that he and Toothless had the same idea. He quickly put on Toothless' saddle and his riding harness, carefully strapped himself in, secured his foot, and they were off in pursuit of Astrid.

As soon as Toothless spotted her, he grabbed her with his feet. She screamed in surprise. **(Author's Note: I am seriously debating putting in her scream onomonopia here. If anyone objects, please include that in your review!)** Toothless perched atop a tall pine tree. Astrid grabbed onto a branch.

"Hiccup, get me _down_ from here!" She demanded.

"Astrid, what _is_ this? Just a minute ago you were saying that you wanted to be my friend!" Hiccup groaned.

"I thought you were different! I thought you were a _musician_! But now I see that you're just a _snake charmer_!" She spat at him.

Toothless roared and rocked the tree, almost sending Hiccup and Astrid flying.

"Astrid, just give me a chance to explain." he pleaded.

"So _this_ is what that picture was of, and _this _is what you've been doing! Riding a _dragon_?"

"Not only riding, Astrid, _playing_ too!" He had to make her understand.

"That is just crazy! I am not listening to _anything_ you have to say!"

"Then I won't speak. Let me show you." Hiccup got into playing position. Astrid was silent for a moment and climbed to meet Hiccup and Toothless. He offered her his hand but she knocked it out of the way.

In his mind, Hiccup sighed. _Thor and Woden, could this get any worse?_ She squeezed on the saddle behind Hiccup.

"Alright. Now get me down."

Since she had tried to attack him as soon as they met, Toothless was not very fond of Astrid. Hiccup had to be very calming in order for Toothless to perform this huge favor for him. "Toothless," he said sternly but calmly, "_gently_." He started to play his song about Astrid again. He used all of Toothless' favorite stylistic things to coax him. He played rolled chords, slurs, trilled from the top, once changing a quarter note to triplets, everything he could ever remember Toothless favoring in his music. Surprisingly, Toothless obliged. Hiccup internally heaved a sigh of relief.

"See?" He said to Astrid, "Nothing to be afraid of-"

But just as he said that, Toothless sprung into action and began his ascent straight up and out of control.

_Ohh great, _thought Hiccup, _this is the last thing I need. He's flying so fast I can't even play to calm him down! _ "Toothless, stop! Bad dragon! Bad dragon!" As they hurtled out of control, Astrid hugged him around the middle. Hiccup was only a little shaken but as this was her first time on a dragon, she was terrified. "He's, uh, not usually like this." he tried to explain. Toothless made for a dive. "Oh no." Astrid screamed. **(Author's Note: Please tell me you cannot read this scene without the onomonopia. But be honest with me.)** Toothless began to spin downward in spirals. Hiccup sighed. He wryly said, "And now, the spinning. Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile." Then the Night Fury splashed into the water, making an incredibly jerky ride for Astrid. "Toothless, what are you doing? We need her to like us!" He hurtled upward again and back down like a crazy roller-coaster and his speed made position-work for Hiccup impossible.

Astrid was not having as much fun as she had had back on the ground. "Alright, I'm sorry. I'll listen to anything! Please, just get me off this thing!"

Right before they were about to splash into the sea, Toothless stopped. He began to fly more smoothly. Hiccup was now able to operate his friend's tail. Surprisingly, his violin was intact from the spin. Even though the thrill ride was over, Astrid was still clinging to him. The sun was setting over the water, he was on the back of the best dragon anyone could ask for, and Astrid was holding him. The only thing about this that wasn't perfect was that Astrid was crying. Hiccup picked up his instrument, put the bow on the string, and produced the most beautiful sound. As soon as he started playing, Astrid stopped crying. Eventually, when Toothless had soared into the clouds, she let go and let Hiccup move about freely as he played. She touched the clouds as they slipped through her fingers. Then, Toothless took them to where they'd never been before, far away, beyond the world.

This was bliss. Music, Toothless, and Astrid. After a long time, they retreated from the clouds and flew over Berk. It looked beautiful at night. Hiccup finished his medley and put his fiddle down. Toothless looked back at his human and smiled. Hiccup gave him a pat on the back.

He whispered, "Thanks, bud."

"Alright," said Astrid with a smile, "I have to admit. This is pretty amazing. He's amazing."

Hiccup was relieved. "I thought you might say that." He carefully turned around to face the girl. The two Vikings stared into each others' eyes. "Now do you understand, Astrid? I _couldn't_ let you win today: what would happen in the arena tomorrow would break my heart, whether you came out dead or alive."

Astrid's smile changed into a different expression. "I'm worried about you tomorrow!"

"Don't," he advised. He brushed her soft cheek with his hand. "I'll be fine. I have it all worked out."

"But Hiccup, since you won, won't you have to..." she lowered her voice so Toothless wouldn't hear her. "…kill a dragon?" She had spoken a tad too loudly. Toothless had heard her. All of the sudden, he changed direction and started heading away from the forest, where he and Hiccup usually landed. Hiccup saw why: a Monstrous Nightmare was flying towards them. He gasped and passed his violin to Astrid. He turned around, looked up, and noticed that there were more of the species in the sky above them.

"Hiccup," Astrid whispered, "What is this?"

"I'm not sure." Toothless traveled on through the mist into the open sea. Wherever they were headed, Hiccup could only guess as to what was waiting for them there.


	9. Dragon's Den

**Disclaimer: Of course I don't own HTTYD! DreamWorks is fabulous and Cressida Cowell is my deity… not really, but she's way up there with J.K. Rowling. I also do not own the song as described in the end. In fact, I am describing the song Test Drive. That song is the ultimate dragon flying song… not that I've figured out how to play it on the cello and do so every day… That would be absurd.**

**Author's Note: Whew! This took me a looooooong time to edit! I haven't seen this part of the movie in over two months and I can't find it on YouTube. Grrrrrr… If I get details wrong, don't hate on me because this is MY story, I'M**__**the author, and I can do WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT! If you actually care about it that much, I highly consider getting a life. Then again, I should do that some time soon as well. Enjoy, y'all! Please read and review!**

Scores of Monstrous Nightmares, Deadly Nadders, Gronkles, Hideous Zippelbacks, and dragons Hiccup had only seen in the dragon manual soared through the sky holding their prey from the night's raid. A distant part of his brain tried to imagine exactly how many other nearby tribes these dragons raided. But he mostly wondered, _Where is Toothless taking us?_

Just in case these dragons were hungry, Hiccup took his violin back from Astrid and played some scales pizzicato. "Hiccup," warned Astrid, "be careful. You don't know for sure that all of these dragons are as gentle as Toothless. They might not be in the mood."

"Dragons are always in the mood, Astrid," he whispered. A huge cave loomed before them. It appeared that this was where Toothless and all the other dragons were headed. "Toothless, why are we going there?" Hiccup asked, hoping that Toothless somehow might suddenly possess the power of speech and be able to answer him for once, but as usual, no response came. The Night Fury flew on with some difficulty (since Hiccup didn't know where they were going and into what positions his tail needed to be) into the mouth of the cave. He avoided the throng of incoming dragons to show Hiccup and Astrid what was going on. The dragons took what they had caught in the raid and dropped it down a gargantuan hole.

"This is it, Astrid," Hiccup realized as he observed the hundreds of thousands of dragons cluttering the cave, "This is the nest, what we've been looking for for seven generations. What my dad wouldn't give to see _this_!"

"They aren't even _eating_ it!" said Astrid in surprise, **(Author's Note: a la "Let Me Borrow That Top": "You're not even **_**wearing **_**it!") **trying to comprehend the strangeness of the situation.

"Our food gets dropped down a big hole. Well, that's refreshing," he said sarcastically. He handed his fiddle to Astrid and leaned forward: he could have sworn he saw movement down there… And sure enough, up came the head of a gobsmackingly vast dragon like no other Hiccup or Astrid had ever heard of or seen. It had six small eyes, lots of rows of long, pointy teeth, a huge mouth, and large nostrils. It swallowed all the food the dragons brought whole.

"What _is_ that?" Astrid whispered rather loudly.

"I'm not sure. I've never seen a dragon like that before." Hiccup said quietly, hoping she would catch on and speak at a similar volume.

"Thor and Woden-" She said even more loudly. Hiccup held up a hand to silence her. The female Viking's curiosity was too strong for her to be silenced. "Are you sure it's a dragon? Looks more like a sea monster."

Hiccup did not hear Astrid's last comment. Everything finally clicked into place. The dragons raided Berk because they would _die_ otherwise! All the food they stole was for this huge…thing! It was like that dragon was the queen and they were the workers! Now Hiccup understood why Toothless had brought him here: when Astrid had said, 'kill a dragon', Toothless thought of the only one that actually deserved to be killed. "Alright, bud," he whispered, "Let's head on out."

Toothless slowly flew against the flow of traffic with Hiccup's aid. They were almost out of range of the very hungry dragon when there was the sound.

_Pluck._

The gobsmackingly vast dragon heaved its head out of the hole. Hiccup gasped. Astrid must have plucked the E string my mistake! Unfortunately, the dragon master was mistaken in what he had told Astrid earlier; this dragon was _not_ in the mood. It roared in fury and snapped at Toothless. The Night Fury squawked in fear and was almost paralyzed to the spot.

"Bud, let's go!" Hiccup urged as the many-eyed dragon spotted them, "_Toothless_!" Astrid kicked him in the side and he flew off.

There was a ferocious roar and all the other dragons came flying for them. Hiccup, Astrid, and Toothless gasped. The Night Fury flew faster. During the confusion of the mad chase, in which Toothless had to blast fire at the dragons, Hiccup could have sworn he heard the music of a violin somewhere far-off… a very _sharp_ violin, as if the fingers of the person playing it were spread a tad too far apart.

When all hope seemed lost, Toothless shot a blast of fire directly into the dual faces of a Hideous Zippelback. All the dragons retreated back to their cave. "That was close," heaved Astrid. Hiccup was silent as they flew to a cove close to Toothless' glade in the forest of Raven Point. Hiccup slid off his dragon and helped Astrid down.

"I can't believe we found it, Hiccup," whispered Astrid.

Hiccup hadn't been listening. He took his fiddle from her and muttered, "What?"

She paced. "We _found_ it, Hiccup! We found the nest!" Toothless grunted. "Well, _Toothless_ found the nest. We know where it is! We know how to find it now! Why didn't we see it before? Only a _dragon_ can find the island! That's why we've been failing all the time! Hiccup, now's your chance to show your father what you're made of and show him how to get to the nest! You could be a hero! There would be no more raids on Berk-_anywhere_ in the Inner Isles ever again!"

Hiccup had to stop her from thinking like this. She was talking like a Viking again. The way she spoke, it was almost as if they ordeal with Toothless hadn't occurred. Hiccup would not let his efforts go to waste.

"No."

Astrid stopped pacing and her blue eyes met his huge green. She made a face that suggested the belief of her ears deceiving her. Hiccup knew that was not the case. He had made himself perfectly clear. He was determined about this. Going to the nest would be a fool's errand and Astrid did not want to believe it. "What?"

"No," said Hiccup more forcefully this time.

"Why?" Astrid demanded.

"If I told him Toothless found the nest, they'd go looking for it. No one would stand a chance." He looked at the Night Fury fondly. "And there would be no way dad would let me keep Toothless." he explained.

Hiccup absolutely loathed seeing that look of incomprehension upon her face. That was how she used to look at him every day, as if she was in disbelief of his difference from the rest of them, "You want to keep a _dragon _as a pet? Are you crazy?"

"Yes," he said firmly, "I'll make everyone understand tomorrow." That rid the look of misunderstanding and brought about the look she had given him the first time he had effortlessly conquered the Zippelback.

She punched him in the arm. "_That's _for kidnapping me." She said. Hiccup felt himself going red.

_It wasn't _my _fault that she suddenly turned so unwilling at the sight of Toothless! She was fine when it was just the two of us and my violin! I hope what I did actually meant something to her…_ He thought. She drew him close and kissed him on the cheek.

Hiccup stared at her in amazement. Astrid muttered, "And that's for… everything else…" She stumbled on her way out of the cove. He played the smooth last few bars of 'Astrid' for her as she rushed back home.

Hiccup put his hand to his cheek. Astrid had just kissed him! Was he dreaming?

Toothless gave his companion a knowing look. Hiccup blushed. "What?" He hopped onto his best friend's back to avoid further embarrassment.

On their flight back to the glade, Hiccup played like never before. The feel of the night wind upon his face made his song of flying with Toothless its best performance yet. His bow stopped at every note and on every string, each time accented and fortissimo, not the measly mezzo-forte in which the first section of the song was written. He let the music flow in him like never before. _One and two and three and four and one and two and three and four and, _He let the melody ring like never before. _One, three, one and three, twp three four one and three, and two and three four and one and three and one and three and four and one…_

This was why he had to make everyone understand! Not so long ago he had tried to kill this magnificent being, and Toothless, being merciful, had not killed him in return. Tomorrow, he would bring his violin into the arena.


	10. The Violinist in the Kill Ring

**Disclaimer: Owning HTTYD? Hahaha! Lolerskates!**

**Author's Note: I had a bit of experimenting with dialog to perform since the video I was going to use for reference of this scene got taken off YouTube. FAIL! Because of that, I may have gotten a few details wrong. Whatever. **_**Please review!**_** This is when things start to get interesting!**

_What if…_ Those were two words that bombarded his mind as soon as he woke. He thought of all sorts of crazy contingencies that couldn't even happen.

At least one thing was for sure. No matter how weird it looked, Hiccup would take his violin into the arena. Stoick had already left by the time Hiccup was awake. The boy could think of nothing useful to do to prepare. For the first time, a dragon had resisted entertainment. That scared Hiccup. _What if this particular Monstrous Nightmare was not keen on music? Then what? It _can _happen!_ He thought anxiously.

The bustle outside Hiccup's house signaled that many people were excitedly heading down to the arena. He heard a snippet of Tuffnut's conversation with Snotlout. Hiccup paused to listen.

"I wonder if he's actually gonna be able to kill one today!"

"Have you ever noticed that they just…lay down in front of him?"

"There's something fishy about -AH! I am hurt! I am VERY MUCH HURT!"

"Astrid, what was that all about? Where were you last night?" Hiccup scrambled to the window. Sure enough, Tuffnut was rolling around in Hiccup's front yard, probably from the strength of Astrid's punch. Her forearms were really strong…

"That's none of your business. Get going!"

Tuffnut attempted to look cool as he and Snotlout walked off. Astrid remained planted on the lawn, glaring at the two. Hiccup called down the steps to her. "Astrid!" She looked up in surprise and met the Haddock boy at the window.

"What is it?" She looked mildly afraid that someone would see her with Hiccup, but he couldn't let that bother him now.

"I have an…oddly shaped lump in my vest…" Since Astrid knew that it was his violin, she rolled her eyes. "Could you walk with me there so people don't notice?"

Astrid sighed. "Are you serious? Last night, that queen dragon wasn't in the mood for music. What if this one isn't?" She fretted

Hiccup's stress was about to boil over. He was shaking from head to foot and all these nerves were about to do a number on him. His voice shook. "Don't you think I've thought of that? If that's true, there's nothing else I can do! Dragons don't like me!" He began to pace nervously.

"Don't be stupid! Of course they do." Astrid walked to his back door and dragged him to the arena. "Let's get this over with. Just relax."

Within minutes, with shaky legs, Hiccup waited to enter the arena, Astrid behind him. He listened to his father giving a speech to the Vikings of Berk. "Today my boy becomes a Viking! Today he becomes one of us! And no one's more surprised-or more proud than I am." Hiccup sighed. He really didn't want to disappoint his father more, but everything was at stake. He was determined for everyone to know how hard he and Toothless had worked for this inter-species peace.

"Be careful with that dragon." Astrid warned.

"It's not the dragon I'm worried about," Hiccup sighed. He turned to face her. "Astrid, if something goes wrong, make sure they don't find Toothless."

"I will," She said with resolve.

Gobber clumped in to find the champion. "Hiccup, you're on lad."

Hiccup took a deep breath, put on a brave face and the "breast hat". He entered the ring worriedly to roars of his people above. He tried to make sure no one could see the oddly shaped lump protruding from his vest. He picked up a shield and used it to cover up his fiddle. He also grabbed a small dagger. He inhaled, attempting to summon all the courage possible he would need to show Berk the real Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. "I'm ready."

And the beast was released. The Monstrous Nightmare burst through the iron gate on fire, roaring and running about the arena. Hiccup imagined that this was the first time it had been allowed to roam free in a while. _Poor thing_, Hiccup thought. It approached him slowly. The crowd shouted in anticipation. Hiccup had to block them out. In the back of his mind, he thought, _This will be my first audience... well, the first that can respond, anyway._

Hiccup slowly dropped his dagger and shield. The Monstrous Nightmare seemed to think this was a sort of trick. "It's okay," Hiccup soothed. It was still reluctant. He took off his helmet and threw it down upon the stones of the arena. "I'm not one of them."

The Vikings watching above in the crowd gasped. Astrid was the only who held her breath. She knew what Hiccup was about to do. He pulled out his violin. He took a deep breath and was about to place the bow upon the string when Stoick said firmly with a look of disgust upon his face, "Stop the fight."

"No," said Hiccup firmly, "I need you to see this. They're not what we think they are. We don't have to fight them." He began to play the first song he had ever played for Toothless, hoping this dragon would react the same way. The song's mezzo-piano dynamic and larghetto tempo were hauntingly lovely. Despite the jeers from the twins in the stands, Hiccup smiled: everything was going according to plan! The Monstrous Nightmare seemed amazed that Hiccup was not attempting to kill him. So was Stoick. He bellowed in rage, "I SAID _STOP THE FIGHT!_"

Unfortunately for Hiccup, the Monstrous Nightmare was irritated by his father's yell and snapped at the violinist. Hiccup's first instinct was to run. This had never happened before! What _else_ was he to do? Under any normal circumstance, he might have remembered that he had a few tricks up his sleeve, but this was not a normal circumstance. The dragon blew fire at him. Hiccup tried the best he could to remain playing while running. Suddenly, the dragon stopped in his tracks as an axe was thrown at it.

Hiccup saw that Astrid was at the other side of the arena. This was totally against the rules, but so was his violin. The dragon lunged at her. All Hiccup could think of doing was ordering her to duck out of the way. How foolish of her! She had no way to protect herself, no means of music, and her axe was destroyed! She was barely saved by performing a barrel roll. Stoick jumped down from his seat above to aid his son and Astrid.

Stoick grabbed a hammer and threw it at the Monstrous Nightmare. This would only make it angry. "Dad, NO!" Hiccup urged. He tried to play calmly, but it was no use! The Monstrous Nightmare raged about after the three Vikings.

"Get out!" Stoick urged. Now that Hiccup's plan had failed, he offered Astrid the neck of his fiddle. She grabbed it and they attempted to run to safety. They were almost out of harm's way when the Monstrous Nightmare shot a blast of fire at them. They were spared by the shield of Stoick.

The Monstrous Nightmare knocked the weapon out of Stoick's hand. They were done for! All of the sudden, there was a strange whistling sound above them. Everyone, even the Monstrous Nightmare, paused and looked up to see Toothless flying lopsidedly to save his master into the ring. He shot a blast of fire through the wire separating the spectators from the ring.

"NIGHT FURY!" Gobber whispered. **(Author's Note: Can't Gobber whisper in all caps if he wants to? It's my story, and I should bloody well hope so!)**

Any other time, Hiccup would have been extremely proud of and grateful to Toothless for showing up, but now wasn't the best time, as everyone was watching and would want a piece of him.

Toothless jumped upon the Monstrous Nightmare and their fire produced much smoke. In the confusion, Hiccup blundered around, attempting to stay clear of the dragon-fight. Suddenly, his violin and bow were knocked out of his hands. Where were they? If he couldn't find them he would _never_ be able to get out of any tight spot ever again! He frantically dropped down upon his hands and knees, feeling around for the piece of vulnerable wood.

Then, Hiccup was absolutely sure this time that he heard sharp violin music. The smoke cleared and on the other side of the ring, Astrid was nervously attempting to calm down the Monstrous Nightmare by playing the violin. Toothless must have been immune to the sharp music of panic, but it obviously upset the other. He had an evil annoyed glint in his eye as he chased after Astrid.

Hiccup's head spun with confusion. The sight he had seen within the past few seconds-Astrid attempting to play his fiddle- was surprising enough, but with all this on top of it-This was all so wrong! Hiccup tried to prevent it from becoming even more so. He nudged Toothless as Vikings jumped into the ring, munitions in hand. "Toothless, go," he urged, "Get out of here!" Stoick ran right for Toothless, but the Night Fury was too quick. He jumped upon the chief. "Toothless, no! TOOTHLESS, _STOP_!"

The Vikings could now capture Toothless. They violently chained up the dragons. Stoick got to his feet and ordered, "Put it with the others." Astrid was unwillingly carried out of the ring by Gobber. Before Hiccup could say goodbye to Toothless, Astrid, or even see that his beloved violin was alright, he was whisked away. His father grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, tossed him into a dark room, and shut the door.

"Dad, listen," the boy tried to explain, getting to his feet, "it's not what you-"

"I can't believe this. I should have known," His father raged, "I should have seen the signs! I can't believe it! Not only that-_fiddle_!" He spat, "But a _dragon_! Everything in the ring was a trick- a _lie_!"

"No, dad, it's-" Hiccup groaned, "It's all messed up. Be mad at me all you want, but _please_, don't hurt Toothless!"

Stoick turned around in shock. "The dragon? You're worried about the _dragon_? Not the people you almost _killed_?"

In a distant part of his mind, Hiccup wished that his father would be as easy to soothe as a dragon. Regrettably, Astrid was still in possession of his violin. "Dad, it's not what you think!"

"They've killed hundreds of us!"

"And _we've _killed _thousands of them_!" Hiccup retaliated. He tried to further explain, but Stoick was pacing and obviously not paying him any attention. "They just _defend_ themselves, that's all! If they don't bring enough food back, they'll be eaten themselves! There's this island-"

Immediately Stoick stopped in his tracks, turned around, and stared at Hiccup. "An _island_?"

Hiccup had done exactly what he had told Astrid he wasn't going to do. His father had found out! "Did I say island?" He said nervously, trying to pass it off as insignificant

"How did you find it?" Stoick demanded.

"No, I didn't find the island, Toothless did. Only a dragon can find the island…" An evil glint appeared in Stoick's eyes as well as a look of comprehension upon his face. Hiccup gasped. "Oh, no! Dad, please! Don't do this: it's like nothing you've ever seen!"

But he had already done enough damage. His father was striding towards the door, paying him no heed. "Dad, _no_! _Please_!" All the anger, rage, and disappointment Hiccup had ever faced in all his life that no music could ever soothe burst forth. "FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE WOULD YOU _PLEASE_ JUST LISTEN TO ME?" Hiccup cried out in ire.

Stoick turned and gave his son a displeasing look. "You've lied to me. Not only that piece of wood… You've thrown your lot in with them," he said disgustedly. He shook his head. "You're not my son." He strode out to the crowd still in the arena and left the Haddock boy alone in the dark.


	11. Something Crazy

**Disclaimer: No way! Owning How to Train Your Dragon would be way too awesome!**

**Author's Note: For the few of you who have been writing faithful reviews to this story, I urge you to continue. Others who have favorited or subscribed, I implore you to do the same. Reviews for this story are something I have been wishing for. Please urge me along! I have so much invested in this story and I want to see if those investments are worthwhile. Please excuse the horrendous amount of time between this chapter and the previous. The lack of reviews was what had me down. My story This Is My Idea was becoming more popular and I decided to give in to the demands of the public. Enjoy! Please read and review!**

It took Hiccup a while to recuperate from the encounter with his father. All was empty from him now and he felt like a black hole. The only thing that drove him to step out into the sunlight was what had happened with Astrid in the ring. What had she been _doing_? It looked as if she was…

_But that's impossible… Right now I have bigger problems on my mind._

All the grown Vikings were leaving for the dragon's nest. He found Astrid on a cliff that overlooked the docks, watching in despair, and holding his trusty fiddle. He joined her and watched them set sail. The one thing that wrenched his heart was seeing Toothless trapped. He was completely helpless and Hiccup knew it was all his fault! He had no words as he watched the ships disappear onto the horizon. What _else_ could he do?

"It's a mess," Astrid spoke first, handing him his violin, "You've lost _everything_. Your father, your tribe…your best friend-"

Bitterness rose like a monster in him. He didn't need Astrid to tell him that he had screwed up possibly everything in the Inner Isles. He interrupted, "Thank you for summing that up." He wished there was some way to stop all the trouble he had caused. He was so scared for Toothless that he couldn't even think correctly and spouted off random sentences that he didn't mean. "If only I'd killed that dragon when I found him in the woods. It would've been better... for everyone." He mumbled.

"You're right," Astrid sighed, "Everyone else would have done it. So why didn't you?" The tone was a touch accusatory. That was certainly something he didn't need at the moment. She paused then repeated herself. This time her tone was then inquisitive. "Why _didn't _you?"

Hiccup struggled for an answer. "I don't know. I-" he blundered, "I couldn't." His cheeks started to redden. "Look, why does it matter?"

She turned to face him but he just couldn't look her in those eyes. He had already looked like a fool in front of her so many times. And he was tired of it. _It wasn't supposed to happen like this._ Hiccup thought. Astrid said with steadfastness, "Because I want to remember what you say right now."

Frustration took over. "Oh for the love of- I was weak! I was a coward! I wouldn't kill a dragon!" He lashed out at her.

She took being lashed out at by a twig of a Viking surprisingly well. "You said wouldn't that time."

_What?_ What did a stupid little word like that matter? "Well, whatever! I _wouldn't_! I'm the first Viking in 300 years who wouldn't kill a dragon."

There was an awkward silence in which Hiccup lazily fingered a scale. His fingers were even too tired to perform vibrato.

Astrid pointed out, "First one to ride one though. So…"

Hiccup sighed and thought back to when it all began. "I wouldn't kill him, because he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him…and I saw myself."

That answer seemed to satisfy her. "I bet he's really frightened right now. What are you gonna do?"

He said the first thing that came to mind. "Eh, probably something stupid."

"Good, but you've already done _that_."

His eyes lit up and the cogs in his brain started turning. "Then… something crazy!"

She smiled. "That's more like it."

Hiccup headed back to the arena, hoping to catch Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins. He had the absurd idea that they could all come to the Vikings' aid on dragon-back! He could teach the Vikings-in-training all he knew about dragons. Finally, Hiccup could take all he had learned in training from Gobber and put it to good use. They could save all the Vikings and dragons if they just tried to defeat that huge queen.

They had all agreed to Hiccup's plan and picked out their dragons, Fishlegs on a Gronkle, Snotlout on a Monstrous Nightmare, the twins on the Hideous Zippelback, which left him and Astrid to share the Deadly Nadder until they could rescue Toothless. Astrid pulled him aside. "What?" Hiccup wondered aloud.

"Come with me." She pulled him along out of the arena and into the square, and then to her _house!_

Hiccup grew uneasy. "Astrid, we don't have much time! Hold on, you have to learn how to charm your dragon! And that really takes some practice. Can't whatever this is wait until later?"

She shut the door and locked it. She peered out each of the windows. Hiccup wondered what all the secrecy was about. Astrid inhaled steadily. "Because, I don't think there will _be_ a next time. There's something we have to do right now. Together."

Hiccup could see where she was going with this and he knew that he had made a mistake in letting her take him here. _Oh, Loki, _he thought in horror as she pulled out the hair-tie in her braid and let it fall into its gorgeous waves, _We only had one date! We're not even really together! I haven't even asked her _out_ yet! I'm not ready for sex…_ He fumbled to unlock the doorknob. There was a time and place for everything, but that particular time was not the time for sex!

But her next move was not taking anything off… it was pulling something out.

Hiccup's jaw dropped. This was a shock. What she had done in the ring made sense now. It must have been _she _he had heard all those weeks ago

Hiccup began to feel light-headed as he stared into the lovely azure eyes of Astrid Hofferson… Everything began to melt. The time was indeed ripe for _this. What a coincidence…_ he thought. It was all too much to take in. He decided to react the way she had.

"So, you're a violist." He said calmly.


	12. Astrid's Big Secret

**Disclaimer: Last night, I had a nightmare: someone cut my hair and told me I didn't own HTTYD. It was terrifying.**

**Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews and great ideas! I have to warn you that this chapter will have some fluff. If you don't feel like reading it, that is your problem. Also, this chapter was heavily influenced by the track on the soundtrack called The Vikings Have Their Tea, written for solo violin, pennywhistle, and orchestra. I liked the whole idea of the dual octave thing and I decided to come up with an arrangement of it through this chapter. If you've never heard the song, ****.com/watch?v=I1cGZUMRHn0****. Enjoy!**

Everything made sense to Hiccup now. Astrid was the violist he had heard while he was playing for Toothless about a week ago. And what he had heard coming out of the dragon's nest made sense too! And what he saw in the ring!

A viola is slightly bigger than a violin but in the same octave. It has no high E string but it has a low C string which enables it to go four whole steps lower. It has a fuller sound and is often used as a supporting instrument.

Being a true music geek, Hiccup knew all about the difference in size between the violin and viola. Since a viola was bigger than a violin, one would have to stretch out the fingers further on a viola to get the same pitch as on a violin. But playing Hiccup's violin was the first time Astrid had experienced that small finger spacing, which was why everything had been so sharp.

"So, you're a violist." he said calmly.

Astrid shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah."

He said, "Are you any good?"

All she could do was shrug and say, "I'm okay, I guess."

Hiccup gave her a smile that he rarely gave. (Toothless was usually the one who received it.) He was so pleased. Now he saw why he had chased after her all those years. He had seen through her mask of stiffness and had realized that there was something special that she possessed something only a musician could have. "You, _okay_? I bet you're great. You're so modest, anyway. You're really tough with dragons and you brush that off like it's nothing."

Astrid turned pink and did something Hiccup had never seen her do before. She twirled her hair around her finger and began to _ramble_. "Oh, but it _is_ nothing! You proved that being tough was the wrong way, so actually I'm really bad with dragons compared to you. But it's not like I tried to be like you and step out of my shell, break the ancient tradition of fighting dragons and be brave like you-"

He couldn't help but feel slightly pleased with himself: Astrid had called him _brave_!

Hiccup smiled and put a finger to Astrid's lips to hush her. "I'm not brave." He admitted, "I'm just curious. Anyone who is willing to show me a secret this big is much braver than I will ever be."

Astrid stuttered in protest and Hiccup silenced her. He raised his fiddle to his shoulder and his lips formed the words, "Play with me, Astrid."

He thought he saw tears of joy forming in her eyes, but thought it was his imagination. He was almost positive that he had been correct in his assumption when Astrid's voice quivered as she spoke. "Oh… what should we play? Nobody writes anything for a viola, so most of the time, I have to figure things out by ear." Astrid breathed.

Hiccup could scarcely believe it. "You figure out how to play things by _ear_?" Astrid blushed. **(Author's Note: Of COURSE she has really good relative pitch! It's my fanfic!) **"Don't be ashamed of it, Astrid! That's a grand skill! My dad would _kill_ me if he saw me looking for sheet music, I mean, he hates me enough as it is," he added slightly bitterly, "so I have to write my own. Luckily, I have written a duet for viola and violin."

"You _didn't_." She said in disbelief as Hiccup rummaged through the pockets of his vest for the two-part score.

"I _did_."

Astrid studied the music. The score wasn't very complicated, as it was written at a tempo of andante, but it was full of grace notes. The bowings were very unusual, with many slurs and double up-bows etc.

As the blonde musician followed the notes on the page, Hiccup watched her fingers perform the melody with surprising accuracy for a sight-read. The sight made his heart flutter. He never thought that the girl he'd had a huge crush on for so long would be a musician, like himself.

"Well," said Astrid, "I haven't sight-read in a while: I was so busy with training… or more like, trying to beat you…" Her cheeks flushed. "Anyway… this might be a tad shaky. Can I count us off?"

"By all means: you're the one who starts the piece," Hiccup urged. As she put the bow upon the string and counted them off in three, nothing else mattered but the music she made.

Hiccup had never heard such controlled dynamics; piano with a crescendo to mezzo-forte and diminuendo to piano again. Her bowhold was more relaxed than his! She had such control over her instrument. Hiccup was so entranced that he would have forgotten to come in if Astrid hadn't given him a cue with her body.

Hiccup played the same melody in 3 that Astrid had played, but an octave higher, wishing his phrasing could be as accurate as hers and he rushed a tad. To get him back on track, Astrid counted out loud for him, as well as conducted.

Hiccup was so amazed that she knew how to conduct! He had no idea she was so knowledgeable when it came to music. Her phrasing was much better than Hiccup's, but when she played again, he noticed that his tone was much warmer, and hers was a bit too cold. Maybe someday they could help each other…

Then came the part of the piece in which they played together. Since it was the same figure they had played previously an octave apart, they just smiled at each other, gauging the ritard at the end off of each others' bow speed.

Hiccup put down his instrument and inched closer to the violist. "You play beautifully, Astrid." She gave an uncharacteristic giggle. The blue and green eyes met and were trapped until Astrid gasped.

"Oh, Woden! There's a _war_ going on here!" She said.

Hiccup turned away and blushed. He had totally forgotten. "Right- then, let's get back to the arena before Ruff and Tuff start bickering again."


	13. A Fiendishly Clever Plan

**Disclaimer: Let's be real here.**

**Author's Note: "For a nation that spent a great deal of time fighting, burgling, and ransacking, the Hooligans were a surprisingly musical lot."-Cressida Cowell, **_**How to Twist a Dragon's Tale.**_** (AKA HTTYD book 5. {My personal favorite.}) **

** Before I begin, I would like to apologize for the ungodly length of my absence. I hope you accept. (You might consider including that in your review.) Enjoy chapter **_**Lucky Thirteen**_**. (Yes, that was a reference to **_**How to Be a Pirate**_**.)**

When Hiccup and Astrid arrived back in the ring, the twins were close to beating each other up, but they had not quite gotten there yet. Fishlegs was having a bit of trouble grasping the charm part because his voice was terrible but the Gronkle seemed to trust him and enjoy his company. Snotlout and the twins were doing just fine with their dragons, singing the Berk national anthem. Tuffnut made up derisive untrue words about how pathetic she was at dragon charming.

Hiccup walked around to his companions and gave them advice. To his surprise, they all took his suggestions without question, except for Astrid, who merely glared at him when he told her that she wasn't applying enough pressure to her bow, blushing slightly as she did so.

He left her alone because she seemed uncomfortable; looking at Ruffnut as if afraid she wouldn't remain her best friend anymore. But the others said nothing about Astrid's viola, assuming that she and Hiccup had been in it together.

Once everyone was ready to go, Hiccup mounted the Deadly Nadder. He held a hand out to help Astrid up. She took it this time.

"Okay, men, dragons, Ruffnut, Astrid. This is it. Once we set off for the dragon's nest, there's no turning back. Are you with me?"

There was a rousing cry from the Vikings-in-training that lifted Hiccup's spirits followed by a quick and triumphant three-octave C major scale performed by Astrid on her viola. His cheeks turned pink.

"Alright, then. Let your dragon guide you to the island. Once we get there, I'll tell you our plan. When in doubt, don't stop singing."

The others nodded.

Hiccup had a clenching feeling in his stomach. He didn't know if it was right to withhold a vital piece of information about the queen dragon. If you recall, the queen dragon had gone wild from one accidental pluck of Hiccup's E string. He thought he ought to warn them, but before he'd met this dragon, he'd thought that music was the answer to everything. But there he was wrong. He didn't want the others to see that. Hiccup didn't want them to know that he didn't have the real answer.

_What _is_ the real answer?_ Hiccup asked himself. But he had no time to ponder because Astrid had taken charge in his spell of pondering and dug her heel into the Nadder's side with a cry of "YOICKS!" It bolted off. The other four did the same, belting an old Viking drinking song as they admired the view of the village below, Snotlout and Fishlegs ordering the twins to stop arguing about who could sing louder between every other verse.

Hiccup tried to match Astrid's current style that the Nadder seemed to like, which was characterized by separated bows and accents on the off-beats. He accompanied the violist on a jig she was playing.

Whenever the Nadder changed direction or height, Hiccup found himself shifting his feet in the proper positions for flight with Toothless. He did it for most of the journey until it got annoying enough for Astrid to notice and she howled over the wind whipping against their faces, "Stop doing that crazy dance with your feet!" Hiccup guessed that if it was possible to turn around and give a death-glare whilst playing the viola on the back of a Deadly Nadder, Astrid would have done so.

"Sorry!" Hiccup called back, "Bad habit…This is all so strange."

"You mean you haven't been planning to fly into battle to save Berk on the back of a dragon?" said Astrid with sarcasm.

"Yes, yes," said the violinist hurriedly, "but I wasn't thinking of that. It really is odd not to have the gears in order to shift Toothless' makeshift tail."

A pang of guilt shot through Hiccup. If it wasn't for him, Toothless wouldn't need that fake tail. Toothless wouldn't be able to fly without his help… and it was _his fault._ This plan was very dangerous. Even if most of it went well, he might not ever see Toothless again. The very thought made Hiccup's blood run cold.

He wouldn't be able to see the one who had first appreciated his playing. He wouldn't be able to fly over the Isle of Berk between the towering sea cliffs of Eternity and Forever with their improbably high walls and realize how small everything was from the air. He wouldn't have his best friend… his _only_ friend.

He _would_ see Toothless again! He _had_ to! He devised a Fiendishly Clever Plan that would ensure doing just that.

Within a few minutes, there was an ear-splitting _crack!_

Hiccup prayed to Thor that it hadn't come from their destination, but the Nadder changed course and flew towards the source of the sonic boom. The Vikings-in-training had stopped singing. Everything was eerily silent.

Then, there was the horrible and unmistakable sound of all hell breaking loose.


	14. The Battle Begins

**Disclaimer: As cool as Astrid Elphaba Lovegood feels about coming up with this idea, every now and then she remembers that she didn't think up HTTYD.**

**Author's Note: "My brain just doesn't think physics." "What **_**does**_** it think?" "Music."-The Sorcerer's Apprentice. FaBuLoUs MoViE! **

Even though no one acting frantic, the first thing Hiccup said was, "Okay everyone, stay calm."

"You got it, Hiccup." said Snotlout, in a voice much friendlier than he had ever used when speaking to the violinist.

"Do you guys remember the things you learned from dragon training?" Hiccup asked.

The others nodded and Astrid muttered under her breath, "How in Valhalla could I forget?"

"Alright. This dragon coming up is unlike anything we've ever seen, so, if you can, try your best to stay calm." said Hiccup.

At that very moment, Tuffnut let out a girly scream. Thousands of dragons of all species were flying away from the nest. Hiccup guessed that his father and the other Viking warriors had scared them off and were going to suffer the consequences with the "Green Death".

"Hang on," Hiccup called back to the others, as he almost got knocked off the Deadly Nadder by a fleeing Zippelback. He fingered a scale in an attempt to calm himself down but it proved useless.

Then, the twins, Snotlout, and Fishlegs gasped. The dragon-that-looked-more-like-a-mountain-than-an-actual-reptile burned down all the Viking ships with one gargantuan blast of its fire.

As the young Vikings flew closer, Hiccup's heart raced. It would be impossible for them all to come out of this alive. He was putting them all in jeopardy. Just in case he didn't make it back-while he still had the chance, he had to talk to Astrid. Time was ticking away as the Nadder drew him closer to the Green Death.

In spite of the death and destruction going on around him, he raised his fiddle to his chin, put the bow on the string, and played the first few bars of his composition entitled "Astrid" for his companion. She turned around in surprise.

"Hiccup, what are you _doing_?" asked Astrid.

He put down his instrument and focused on her blue eyes. "This is very dangerous… and I wish I'd never gotten you involved."

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Everyone else in Berk would die if I hadn't agreed to help you." the blonde Viking said stubbornly.

"Just in case one of us dies…" said the violinist with difficulty, unable to fathom the mere thought of his Astrid's death, "I want you to know that-"

"Stop worrying, Hiccup!" She reprimanded. He blushed a deep shade of pink. "What's the plan?"

Now that they were close enough, Hiccup could see Gobber and his dad baiting the dragon was a really bad idea. Luckily, Hiccup didn't have to shout warning to them to get out of the way. Unluckily, the Green Death's deafening roar resounded through their ears and the monstrously immense dragon lunged at the twins and their Hideous Zippelback.

"Ruff, Tuff," warned Hiccup, "watch your backs!"

Fishlegs' Gronkle hung back slightly, whether in fear or some other emotion, Hiccup didn't know. "Move, Fishlegs!"

Tuffnut noticed that everyone from below was staring up at them in astonishment and disbelief. Hiccup even noticed his father in the crowd, as proud as he never was of his fantastic son. "Look at us!" He cried, "We're on dragons! _All_ of us! _We're on DRAGONS!"_

Hiccup put his plan into action. "Legs, break it down."

"Okay, heavily armored skull, teeth, and tail, used for crushing and bashing. Small eyes, relies on hearing and smell." Fishlegs rattled off.

"Right, Lout, Legs, hang around its eyes. Try to find its blind spot."

"You got it!" The two flew to their battle stations and began making noise on their shields with their axes to disorient the monster.

"Ruff, Tuff, make it mad."

"That's my specialty!"

"Nu-_uh_!" protested Ruffnut.

"Oh _please_," boasted Tuffnut, "Everyone knows that I'm more irritating." He turned upside down on his dragon, stuck out his tongue, and made an absurd noise to show his sister just that.

Hiccup groaned. "Just do what I told you! We'll be back as soon as we can." He and Astrid steered in the direction of the burning ships, Astrid slightly urging the dragon to be brave… or maybe she was urging herself.

Hiccup figured the best way to find Toothless in all this mess of cacophony and flames was to see if he recognized their flight "theme song", if you will. He played a few bars of it. "Play after me, Astrid: two instruments are better than one." Due to her excellent relative pitch, the two were playing the piece fluently within minutes in hopes that Toothless would call out in acknowledgment.

Their search for the trapped Night Fury wasn't going so well. From the noises Hiccup heard from behind him, the twins seemed to be keeping the huge dragon at bay and infuriating it. Hiccup hoped he had imagined Fishlegs' helpless yelp of "Ummm, this thing doesn't have a blind spot!"

Hiccup spotted a speck of black among the flames struggling to break free of its bonds. "_There_!" He said to Astrid. He passed her his violin and he foolishly jumped off the back of the dragon into the flames. He landed in a surprisingly safe place near the captured Toothless.

"Go help the others!" He called to Astrid. She was too far up for Hiccup to see the look on her face, but she made no protest as she left the flames to aid the other Vikings. He hoped that would not be the last he saw of her.

Toothless looked very frightened as the flames began to close in around the pair. "Okay, bud," Hiccup soothed in a sing-song voice, wishing he could have brought his instrument with him, "We'll get you out of this as soon as we can. Hang tight." He tried with all his might to rip off the trap around his neck. It took him so much effort and the strength he didn't have. After a while, he finally got it off.

The flames were closing in.

Hiccup worried that they might not get out in time: the chains were so strong…

Suddenly, something fell onto the flaming boat. The wood on which the duo stood broke with a _crack! _and the Night Fury fell into the icy depths below. Hiccup took a deep breath and jumped in after him. He had never been a fantastic swimmer. His flying harness was weighing him down… Toothless was getting farther and farther from him. He wouldn't be able to carry on much longer… But poor Toothless! He just _had _to keep swimming!

Hiccup went limp in the water. He couldn't swim anymore… and down Toothless went. Faintly, as if it had occurred several beaches away, Hiccup heard Toothless cry out…

Then, something pulled him out of the water. Hiccup coughed and spluttered as he was brought to the surface and dragged onto a rock on the beach. The mysterious figure jumped back into the water. Hiccup did not believe his eyes.

"Dad?"

Seconds later, Toothless heroically emerged from the water, free of his bonds, carrying his rescuer, Stoick in his paws. The dragon called for Hiccup to mount him.

Relief spread throughout the dragon rider and he smiled. "You got it, bud." He hopped on and clipped himself into the harness. He was about to take flight when his father's voice pulled him back.

"Hiccup! You don't have to go out there."

"We're Vikings," Hiccup said, "It's an occupational hazard."

An emotion Hiccup had never seen on his father's face lit it up like the stars. "I'm proud to call you my son."

In spite of all the chaos he had caused around him, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III had never felt happier in his life. "Thanks, dad."

Toothless spread his wings and set off in pursuit of Hiccup's violin.


	15. Thor and Lightning

**Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD. This chapter will be pretty unoriginal.**

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. I am **_**almost**_** finished… almost…**

As Toothless and Hiccup soared away from the proud chieftain, the dragon rider saw the mess occurring with the Green Death. Fishlegs was on the ground, trying to revive his Gronkle, which must have gotten dizzy from all the noise his rider was making, banging his axe against his shield in order to confuse the Green Death. Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare was nowhere in sight. He was hanging onto the huge dragon's cheekbones pounding its tiny eyes with a hammer.

"He's up!" Hiccup heard Astrid cry. It warmed his heart to know that she was alright.

"Ruff, Tuff, get Snotlout out of there!" Hiccup ordered.

"I'm on it!" said Tuffnut.

"I'm on it _first!_" spat his sister, butting her Zippelback's head into her brother's.

As the two flew their dragon to Snotlout, arguing all the way, he stupidly jumped off the huge dragon's head and landed on the back of the Hideous Zippelback.

"Wow, I can't believe that actually worked!" He laughed, amazed with his luck.

Meanwhile, Astrid, the holder of Hiccup's instrument, was not so lucky: her Nadder was being sucked into the enormous dragon's mouth. Astrid tried her best for a tune to urge her Nadder to go faster. Toothless shot a blast of fire at the Nadder. Its rider was bucked off.

Astrid, her viola, and Hiccup's violin went flying. The violist screamed.

"Come on, bud," Hiccup urged Toothless in his sing-song voice. He muttered a quick prayer to Thor that Astrid and the instruments would be alright. Toothless flew to Astrid's rescue, Hiccup adjusting the positions of the Night Fury's tail, and caught the falling girl by her foot.

"Did you get her?" He asked.

Toothless looked underneath him and happily saw Astrid smiling back at him, dangling on with relief, holding the violin and the viola, both intact.

Toothless landed on a rock and set Astrid down gently. The blonde Viking handed the violin to the dragon rider.

"Hiccup," she said with a sigh, her blue eyes wide with admiration he had only ever dreamed of seeing.

In the heat of the moment, Hiccup drew her close and kissed her. Thank Thor she was safe… If this was the last he ever saw of her, this would be the perfect way to end it.

"Astrid, I love you." Hiccup breathed after they drew apart.

Astrid let go of his hand and said with bravery, "Go."

Toothless leapt up, spread his wings, and headed in the direction of the Green Death. Hiccup put his bow on the string and let loose their flying song of victory to annoy the monster. As they drew closer, Hiccup was surprised to find that this thing actually _was _a dragon.

"That thing has _wings_," he said to Toothless in disbelief, "let's see if it knows how to use them."

Toothless dive-bombed the queen dragon and it snapped at them. The Night Fury flew away from the Vikings. (Hiccup didn't want anyone to get hurt.) The monster dragon spread its wings and followed them. The chase was on.

Hiccup hadn't ridden Toothless like this since he'd almost fallen out of the sky on their first test flight. This was a real workout for his feet: they turned left-_shift_-right-_shift_-upside down-_four shifts_. Hiccup played his fierce composition of defeating a Hideous Zippelback, in a minor key, full of fortepianos and separated bow strokes.

The dragon was really irritated. Now was time to put Hiccup's clever plan into action.

"Okay, Toothless," said the dragon rider, "time to disappear!"

And they flew straight up, up, up into the grey clouds. Every Viking below gasped because to them, the duo _did_ disappear.

The Night Fury hung in the clouds and waited. Hiccup cautiously put down his violin, not daring to give away their position.

Since the Green Death couldn't see them in the enclosing mist of grey and white, Toothless had the perfect advantage to wait and prepare for his first shot at the beast. The chase resumed once the beast was shot with a blast of Toothless' purple lightning.

The sky was alight. It left the Vikings below wondering if Toothless and Hiccup were acting on behalf of Thor.

Toothless and Hiccup were winning. It seemed that this beast would have to succumb to the fire blasts eventually. But then it let loose one of its own. Hiccup ducked to shield his violin and bow from harm. Toothless flew straight through, as he was fireproof…but not his tail fin made by Hiccup.

The makeshift tailfin caught fire and its remains blew away in the wind. The duo was done for! Hiccup would have to come up with another plan.

"Okay, time's up. New plan!"

The two fell to earth, Toothless barely able to fly properly and hold his rider on.

_Maybe if we hold until the last possible second before the Green Death hits us with its fire, _thought Hiccup on his feet, _Toothless could get it straight in the mouth. Wouldn't that cause it… to explode?_

"Alright bud," coaxed the dragon rider to his friend, shielding his wooden instrument once more from another fire blast, finding it increasingly difficult to play, "just a little longer."

With the tail lopsided, Toothless didn't fly very quickly. The Green Death was gaining on them.

Toothless made a noise nervous that Hiccup took for a "How much longer?"

"Hold," he advised the Night Fury, "Hold Toothless…"

Hiccup waited until the last possible second. He waited until he could feel the gargantuan dragon's breath of disgusting rotten fish and old corpses on the back of his neck.

"NOW!" Hiccup ordered. Toothless fell limp and his rider fell off. Hiccup attempted to shield his fiddle from harm. The Green Death opened its mouth.

Toothless shot it with a blast of fire. The Green Death simply exploded in a great ball of fire.

Hiccup continued to fall with the Green Death. Its flailing tail coming increasingly close to Hiccup's left leg. He couldn't stop it… And the flames were closing in…

"No," he breathed to the gods in hope that they would save him, "no, _NO_!"

It happened in a split second. The fiddle flew out of his hand. The spiky ball at the end of its tail hit his leg with a sickening crash and crunch.

Hiccup's world went dark as he fell through the fire. He could faintly see Toothless flying down into the explosion to save him. Hiccup had ever appreciated the loyalty of the dragon as much as he did now. Toothless drew closer. Hiccup burned with heat…

Everything went pitch black.

**Author's Note: Boom. Roasted. But hopefully not, if you get my drift.**


	16. Finale

**Disclaimer: You think by now the author would know that you guys are aware she doesn't own HTTYD.**

He blinked as a warm, scaly figure nudged him. As Hiccup's eyes focused, he realized that he was alive and relief spread through him: so was Toothless. The Night Fury smiled at his friend's awakening.

"Hey, Toothless." said Hiccup, "I'm happy to see you, too, bud."

Toothless seemed so happy Hiccup was alright. He began to dart around the room, jumping from surface to surface.

Hiccup put the pieces together. "Uh-I'm in my house." He pointed at the dragon. "_You're_ in my house! Does my dad know you're here?"

Toothless attempted to lick his face again. "Uh, what? Okay, Toothless, no! _Toothless! _Awh, come on." His dragon needed to be calmed down.

_Where is my violin when I need it?_ Hiccup wondered. He couldn't see it anywhere. He always kept it in sight… But hadn't it flown out of his hands in the fire?

Toothless slowly came down from the rafter on which he was perched, his expression solemn.

Hiccup's heart sank.

_Fire destroys wood._

He took a few deep breaths. He couldn't believe it. He didn't _want_ to. But it was true. He sighed and hung his head in gloom. He bit back his tears.

_I loved that fiddle._

The two sat in silence. No one moved, no one spoke. Neither of them knew what to say. The violin had brought them together. And now that it was gone, would it keep them apart? Toothless drew closer to Hiccup in an attempt to comfort him. It was only then that Hiccup looked up.

His spirits lifted considerably. At first he had thought his life was ruined. No one in Berk, not even Toothless would think he was any good without his fiddle. But Toothless attempting to comfort the violinless Hiccup showed that the Night Fury loved him for who he was. The musician part of him was only a part about him that he loved. Hiccup always thought musicians were special people, as if something inside them made them more tenacious and braver than most.

Hiccup got out of bed to wrap his arms around the dragon's neck, to thank him, to show him how much he cared… but a glint of metal by his left leg distracted him. Even Toothless stopped at the sight. There was another thick silence as Hiccup realized that the glint of metal wasn't _by_ his leg, it _was_ his leg.

Hiccup's mind whirled with questions. _Is this a punishment from the gods? Are they telling me I shouldn't have disobeyed my father and betrayed the Viking ways? Was this the only reason they let me live? For punishment? And what of my daily life? Will I ever be able to walk as well as I used to? Will I be able to change positions when I fly with Toothless?_

_ …_

_ Toothless._

Hiccup's gaze shifted to the Night Fury's tail. The makeshift tail fin Hiccup had created had been burned off in the battle. But he was the one who had ruined his real tail in the first place. How coincidental that it was the left one.

Other than looking solemn for the loss of his friend's leg, Toothless looked ready to assist Hiccup in any way he could, as Hiccup had assisted him. Toothless was the most loyal dragon that anyone could ask for.

With all the strength he could muster, Hiccup stood up carefully, putting his weight onto his right leg. He took two steps. One was successful. The other sent him falling onto Toothless. For now, the best way to walk would be with Toothless supporting him. And the dragon did just that.

"Thanks, bud."

They walked to the front door. If he had to learn to walk all over again, he would need some practice on real land. He opened the door, but gasped, and shut it quickly as he saw a Monstrous Nightmare fly past.

"Toothless, stay here."

And the Viking stepped into a world not so different from the one he had left behind.

He heard a cry from Snotlout of, "Alright, hang tight guys, here we gooooo!"

Berk had been transformed. Hiccup's first thought was that a rainbow had attacked the village but as he looked closer he saw that it was dragons of all colors on the rooftops, flying through the air, and most surprising of all, living peacefully with humans.

"What?"

As if his eyes were playing a trick on him, he rubbed them and looked again. Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Snotlout, and countless others rode through the air on dragons. It was unbelievable.

"I knew it. I'm dead!"

He heard a hearty chuckle from behind. "No, but you gave it your best shot." It was his father, looking prouder than ever of his son. "So, what do you think?" He asked.

Hiccup didn't know what to say. This was real. This was everything he had hoped for when he went into the arena for the last time. Vikings and dragons were living in harmony.

"Hey look!" cried a voice from below, "It's _Hiccup_!"

People stopped what they were doing and crowded around Hiccup, glad that he was alive and well, and almost in one piece. Stoick helped his son descend a few steps.

"Turns out what we needed was a little more of-" He indicated all of Hiccup's body. "-this," he finished proudly.

"You just gestured to all of me." said Hiccup.

Stoick nodded, smiling.

"Well, _most_ of you." said the unmistakable voice of Gobber, joining the crowd around the dragon rider, "That's my handiwork," he indicated the leg, "with a little Hiccup flair thrown in. You think it'll do?"

"I might make a few tweaks." said Hiccup. After all, with his instrument gone he would have more time for inventing. The Vikings laughed. Hiccup received a punch in the arm. "AGCH!"

It was Astrid. "That's for scaring me."

"What-_what_? Is it _always_ gonna be this way?" blustered Hiccup, trying to avoid her eyes. He probably _had _given her the absolute worst of scares. "Because-"

The blonde Viking grabbed him by the shirt and shut him up with a kiss. Hiccup blushed. He took back what he had just said. "I could get used to it." She smiled at him. "You'll give me a try on it, won't you?" he asked, "Your viola?"

"Of course." She looked at him in that adoring way he never dreamed he'd see. "You _saved_ us."

Hiccup swelled with pride. He _had_ saved them. He was the hero! He never thought this could happen. He was always the kid who could never do anything right. But here he was. He had saved the day.

Gobber handed him a new makeshift tail fin for Toothless and said, "Welcome home."

Hiccup had never felt more at home in his life.

"Night Fury!" called one Viking fearfully.

"Get down!" screamed another.

Toothless came bounding out the door, ready to fly again. Hiccup and Astrid laughed. "Come on. Let's try it out."

Astrid hopped onto her Deadly Nadder and Hiccup attached the new tail. It worked just as the other had. He mounted the dragon with care and gently secured his new leg into its place. It seemed as if he'd be able to steer the dragon perfectly fine.

"Ready, bud?" He asked.

Toothless nodded. He and Astrid zoomed off.

This was the first time Hiccup had flown over Berk during the day. He never dreamed peace between Vikings and dragons could occur in the stubborn village of Berk, where it snowed nine months out of the year and hailed the other three. He thought it impossible in a place where what little food grew there was tough and tasteless, and the people who grew there were even more so.

Berk was just like any other Viking village, except for the pets. While other places had ponies or parrots, they had dragons.

**Author's Note: THE END! Oh my gosh. You probably want to kill me after what I did to Hiccup and his violin. But it HAD to happen: Hiccup thought that the violin was the only reason Toothless liked him. It certainly was NOT! It was the qualities that many musicians possess-patience, tenacity, their want for perfection- that made Toothless love him. He also had to lose his leg because he needed to have that connection with Toothless. Whether you believe it or not, I have Hiccup's best interests at heart. I don't think anyone understands how much I love Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III.**

**I put my heart and soul into this story. It's the only story I've torn apart by editing. I've taken this more seriously than any of my others. I want to thank those of you who have read this. Without your reviews, Hiccup would still be thinking that his violin was the only reason Toothless liked him. (I have toothless-the-nightfury to thank for that.) **

**Thank you so much for all your wonderful ideas. Go out there and charm **_**your **_**dragon. And keep watch: there's probably going to be a sequel.**


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